Newsletter # 73 – Easy desserts – Eton Mess

At our most recent resident dinner we served banana cream pie as a dessert. But circumstances meant that we prepared it in a different way. It was not quite a ‘deconstructed dessert’ but it contained all the ingredients that you will find in the pie, layered in an individual bowl with the sweet crisp pastry crumbled on top.

I started thinking that Eton Mess, a traditional British dessert, had very similar ingredients to our very own Pavlova, but just served in a different way. The pedigree of the Pavlova would be considered better with its association with the Russian ballerina, Anna Pavlova, whereas Eton Mess started in a school tuckshop.

The rules for Eton Mess are pretty flexible and naturally kiwifruit and bananas as well as grated chocolate (as a topping) are good options. Integral ingredients for a traditional Eton Mess are whipped cream, meringue and berries. Today’s recipe naturally includes those basics but as an option I have added crème patisserie, natural yogurt, strawberry liqueur and milk chocolate

Consider layering the ingredients in a clear glass serving bowl or parfait glasses for best presentation. Alternatively  mix the ingredients ‘tuck shop style’

Eton Mess

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Servings: 4 servings

Course: Dessert

Ingredients Method

Ingredients

  

• 125 g raspberries
• 125 g strawberries
• 20 g caster sugar
• ½ tsp lemon zest finely grated
• 250 ml thickened cream well chilled
• 20 g caster sugar
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
• 100 g cooked dry meringue crunchy crushed, homemade or store bought

Optional ingredients:

• 1 cup Crème Patisserie thick custard, chilled
• ½ cup natural Yoghurt
• 20 ml Strawberry liqueur

Method

 

1. Assemble your ingredients
   
2. Keep 4 raspberries and 2 of the larger strawberries for garnish
3. Hull (remove the leaf and stalk of the strawberries) and gently rinse the strawberries, pat dry
4. Take ⅓ of the remaining berries and puree them. Put aside
5. Add the liqueur to the puree now, if you are using it
6. Quarter the remaining ⅔ of strawberries
7. Sprinkle with 20g sugar and lemon zest
8. Whip the cream, vanilla and 20g caster sugar to soft peaks
9. Fold in the yoghurt and Crème Patisserie to the whipped cream now if you are using them

Presentation # 1

1. In your glass presentation bowl, layer in the following order - marinated berries, meringue, whipped cream, berry puree. Repeat. Finish with whole berries and grated chocolate
   

Presentation # 2

1. Place the marinated berries in a mixing bowl
2. Mix in the berry puree
3. Gently fold through the whipped cream
4. Gently fold through the crushed meringue
5. Scoop out into individual bowls and decorate with the whole berries and sprinkle with grated chocolate